A MESSAGE FROM USA CURLING
Photo by: C. Kerns Photography
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, August 13, 2025] — We know our curling community is strongest when it welcomes everyone, including transgender athletes. Our current Transgender Participation Policy and Guidance was created in 2021 with extensive input from a wide cross-section of all who love our game, including elite-level athletes, recreational curlers, and transgender competitors. It balanced participation with fairness and the restrictions that are already in place at the highest levels of international competition.
As reported in multiple media outlets, the USOPC has released new athlete safety guidelines that all National Governing Bodies must follow to comply with Federal Executive Order 14201, issued earlier this year.
All national governing bodies are now required to have policies that align with the executive order—it is not optional. If USA Curling does not follow this mandate, we will face decertification. The USOPC will take over as the national governing body for curling and wheelchair curling, and the mandate will be followed.
Policy 21-14—Transgender Participation Policy and Guidance—in our current Policies & Procedures, is no longer in compliance. As a result, that policy will be updated. At the current time, we are consulting with the curling community, including transgender athletes, and other National Governing Bodies, as we work to meet this new standard.
We remain committed to making our sport one that is welcoming to all. To that end, we look forward to introducing new events that will provide meaningful competitive outlets for transgender athletes in the curling community. There will always be a place for transgender athletes in our sport.
We hope to have Board approval of a new policy, limited in scope to qualifying events sanctioned by USA Curling and our national championships, by the end of the month.
— Dean Gemmell, Chief Executive Officer, USA Curling
About USA Curling
Founded in 1958 and headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA Curling is the National Governing body for the Olympic sport of curling and the Paralympic sport of wheelchair curling in the United States. The mission of USA Curling is to grow, strengthen, and advocate for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of curling in the United States by prioritizing accessibility and programmatic development from grassroots to podium. USA Curling is sponsored by Columbia Sportswear, the Dale’s family of beers, Twin Cities Orthopedics, Training HAUS, Ice, Sports & Solar (ISS), Rock Solid Productions, Jet Ice, and Laurie Artiss. USA Curling is a proud member of World Curling and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. To learn more, visit usacurling.org.
